


Sleeping Arrangements.

by HostilePoet17



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2015-02-04
Packaged: 2018-03-01 06:10:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2762567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HostilePoet17/pseuds/HostilePoet17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, habits just tend to develop over time, and space.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not set in a specific episode, based in early Season One.

They ducked into the TARDIS, laughing breathlessly, shivering from the heavy rainfall.

“I thought you said they were peaceful,” Rose gasped, holding her side.

The Doctor grinned at her, pulling off his leather jacket and setting it over a railing. “They _are_. It’s not my fault you had to go and insult them.”

“By sneezing? You could’ve at least told me that it offended them, Doctor!”

“Well how was I supposed to know you’d go and sneeze in the face of the bloody emperor?” He asked, trying to dry his face with the sleeve of his jumper.

Rose rolled her eyes good-naturedly at him, walking out of the console room. “It was pourin’ rain. Of course I was gonna sneeze!” She yelled back to him.

He chuckled at her, fiddling with the controls, de-materializing the TARDIS away from the indignant citizens of Elzebod. As he manoeuvred the TARDIS through time and space, Rose re-entered the room, ruffling her hair dry with a towel.

“You weren’t kidding about the rain on that planet, were you?” She laughed, flopping down on the pilot’s chair.

“It’s a great planet, really. But, yeah, famous for its endless rain.”

“Cheers for that,” Rose replied, poking her tongue out at him.

“Oi, toss over that towel, will you? I’m absolutely soaked.”

She let out a laugh. “And whose fault is that?”

Leaving the TARDIS in stasis, he sat down beside her, grabbing the towel. “My ship, my towels.” His voice was muffled as he scrubbed his face and neck dry.

“Ooh, aren’t you bossy?”

“That’s ‘cause I’m the boss,” he grinned over the towel, ears bright red from drying them.

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

Shaking her head, Rose smiled at him, leaning against him. “I hope you’re not gonna try an’ win every argument with that.”

“Nah, that wouldn’t be fair,” he smiled, sitting back. “So, where to, Rose Tyler?”

“We’re runnin’ off again?”

“Don’t you want to?”

“I think I had enough runnin’ today, thanks to those natives back there. They don’t half run fast, do they?” She grinned up at him, resting her chin on his shoulder. “I don’t know about you, but I’m knackered.”

“You humans. You lot tire out so easily, you do,” he chuckled.

“We can’t all have your superior Time Lord biology,” Rose murmured, eyes falling shut.

He smiled down at her, folding his arms, and closing his own eyes.

And together, the Doctor and his Companion drifted to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TAG for 'Dalek' 1x06.

Rose walked quietly through the halls of the TARDIS, two steaming cups of tea in her hands. Having found the console room devoid of the brooding Time Lord, she’d set out in search of him in his regular haunts. Like the hub of the TARDIS, the kitchen and the library neither contained him, leaving only one option left; the bedroom just down the hall from hers. After the incident with the Slitheen, after she moved into the TARDIS officially, he had taken her to this part of the ship and let her know that she could have her pick of any of the bedrooms. “I’m in here, if you need anything. I mostly spend my time at the controls though,” he had told her, leaning against the door jamb of his bedroom, the door shut behind him.

Now, having been unable to find him elsewhere, she headed towards the bedrooms, biting her lip. It felt a little like a trespass, seeking him out in the private quarters of his bedroom. He had said where to find him if she needed him, but still… A part of her was worried ever more so now about the intrusion after the day they’d had.

_“And what about you, Doctor? What the hell are you changin’ into?”_

Rose sighed. It seemed as though this was the day for overstepping boundaries as she thought back to the Doctor’s impulsive hug earlier. As soon as the danger had passed, he’d pulled her into his arms, crushing her against his chest, face buried in her neck. Without a moment’s hesitation, she had curled her arms around his back, gripping his shoulders tightly in response.

 _“I’m sorry, Rose. Oh, I’m so sorry,”_ he’d whispered, trembling against her.

 _“It’s alright, Doctor,”_ she’d soothed. _“It’s alright.”_

He’d been more than a little horrified after the events of the day, shaking in her arms for a few minutes, before finally pulling out of her embrace with a curt nod, not meeting her eyes. She figured a little nudge now might help.

Drawing herself out of her introspection, Rose glanced at the blue door before her, a small smile lifting her mouth at its similarity with the TARDIS exterior. Steeling herself, she leaned closer to it. “Doctor?” She called out. “You in there?”

There was a shuffling noise from inside, and the door swung open to reveal a wary Time Lord. “Something the matter, Rose?”

“I was wonderin’ where you were.”

“Well, you found me. Well done, there’s that mystery solved, now you can get on with your evening. Ta-ra.” He moved to shut the door, but Rose stepped onto the threshold, flinching at his attitude.

“You don’t get to be rude like that to me, Doctor.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, don’t I, now?”

“No,” she replied, matter-of-factly. “I’ve spent the last while looking everywhere for you. And I’ve made you a cup of tea,” she gestured towards him with the cup. “If I’m being nice, ‘least you can do is return the favour.”

“And if I don’t want to be nice?”

“Tough.”

“I didn’t ask you to be nice either, you know.”

“Too bad,” she told him curtly, stepping past him into the room.

He folded his arms across his chest in response. “Excuse me, Rose Tyler, I don’t just go barging into _your_ room uninvited.”

Turning to face him, Rose gave him a small smile. “Please, Doctor. Just have a cup of tea with me, okay?”

He frowned at her. “I’m busy.”

That elicited an arched eyebrow from her. “Doing what, brooding?”

“Oi!”

Rolling her eyes, she held the cup out before him until he took it from her reluctantly. With a grateful smile, she sat down on his bed, cradling her own cup in both hands. “Just sit down already, alright?”

With an imperceptible expression on his face, he gave her a long look before relenting and sitting up on the bed beside her. He moved, adjusting his position until he sat with his back against the headboard, motioning for her to do the same. Complying, Rose sat up beside him, leaving a small space between them.

The strain of the day still leaving a taut silence between them, neither knew how to broach the subject. Instead, the Doctor took a drink of his tea, and considered all the possibilities in which he could possibly avoid lighting upon that topic.

“Where’s that pretty boy of yours gone, then?”

“His name’s _Adam_ ,” she sighed. “And he’s in his room. He’s…I don’t know, a little borin’, I guess. He didn’t really seem interested in hearing about all the stuff we’ve done.”

The Doctor gave an amused little humph, taking a sip of tea.

Rose rolled her eyes, bumping her shoulder against his. “Shut up.”

“Didn’t say anything,” he smiled.

“Didn’t ‘ave to,” she replied, pulling a face at him.

“Is that so?”

“Yup,” she popped the p. “Slightly psychic, I am!”

He coughed a laugh as he drank from his mug. “Slightly psychic, eh?”

She just grinned at him, tongue between her teeth.

“Look at me, got a slightly psychic ship, slightly psychic piece of paper, and now a slightly psychic Companion!”

“Not many people have the full set, y’know,” she teased.

“Well, I better count myself lucky then.”

“You better.”

The Doctor cast a smile at her, letting a contented silence fall over them as they drank their tea.

“I’ve never been in here before,” Rose said quietly, glancing around his room.

“I noticed. Tend not to spend too much time in here myself. Never really sleep.”

“I’ve seen you sleep before. Passed out beside the controls, I’ve seen ya.”

“Only when I’ve gone a while without sleep. Most I go is about two weeks, and then I really need it.”

Rose nodded, absorbing the information. “No wonder you get annoyed at me for sleeping in so late.”

He chuckled, setting his cup aside. “There’s too much to see to spend half your life asleep.”

Smiling, she rested her head against his shoulder. “I guess you’ve got a point.”

“Always have a point, me.”

 Her eyes drifted up towards the stars that spotted the ceiling of his bedroom, glowing dimly in the dark room. A wave of green light shimmered across the space, lighting up the room.

“That’s the Amparellus Nebula. It’s located in the Mark 6-slash-Alpha Galaxy, twenty-seven billion light years from Earth.”

“’S beautiful,” Rose murmured, laying back against the pillow, her teacup perched on his bedside locker. “Does it look like this every night?”

“Nah, the TARDIS picks and chooses depending on m’ mood.”

“It’s making me feel calm, and… safe.”

He glanced down at her, smiling slightly. “I guess that’s how the TARDIS wants us to feel.”

“It’s nice,” she whispered, hand tentatively curling into his. “Are you alright?”

“’Course I am,” he muttered, grasping her hand. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“ _Doctor_.”

“I’m fine, Rose. Let it go,” he replied gruffly, pulling his hand from hers and folding his arms across his chest.

Rolling her eyes at the Time Lord, Rose curled onto her side, facing him. “I meant it, you know, wouldn’t ‘ave missed it for the world.”

The Doctor glanced down at her, face guarded. “I should drop you straight home, you know. I promised your Mum I’d keep you safe.”

“Don’t you dare,” she whispered, shaking her head.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t, Rose,” he sighed.

Her hand found his once more. “Please,” was all she whispered.

He interlocked his fingers with hers, smiling shortly. “I suppose I’d better keep you around. You make a decent cup of tea.”

Shaking her head, Rose rested her head on his shoulder, smiling. “Who else is gonna keep you in line, eh?”

“Oi, watch it, you,” the Doctor chuckled.

“’Sides, this life’s no fun on your own,” she mused, watching the stars slowly rolling through the artificial sky above her.

“Better with two,” he replied quietly.

Rose didn’t say anything, just squeezed his hand gently in response.

Smiling contentedly, the Doctor followed her gaze to the ceiling and let the calm, soothing waves of light ease the tension in his chest, and he felt his eyes falling shut.

All around them, the TARDIS glowed in contentment, gently lulling them to sleep, safeguarding her Thief and his delightful little human


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TAG for 'Father's Day' 1x08.

They were silent as they walked back to the TARDIS, Rose grasping the Doctor’s hand so tightly that he knew when she pulled away there would be tiny crescent moons bitten into his skin.

_He didn’t care_.

She dropped his hand in the console room, choosing to hug herself, arms wrapped around her frame. The Doctor eyed her carefully, knowing that Rose would open up when she was ready. With her back to him, he heard her sniff quietly, shoulders hunched.

“I’m gonna go to my room,” she told him, not turning around.

“Is there anything I can get you?” He offered. “How ‘bout a cup of tea?”

Rose glanced up at him, a small grateful smile twisted her lips. “No ‘fanks. I just wanna sleep.”

He nodded, folding his arms and resting against the controls. “Well, you know where I am.”

With a small nod, she left the room. The Doctor blew out a sigh, and turned to start up the TARDIS. Anything to get them away from this time and place. Away from Pete Tyler and the heartbreak he’d left Rose with all her life.

Feeling the familiar lurch and sway of the TARDIS settling down, he stepped away from the controls and headed into the corridor. As he passed Rose’s room on his way to the kitchen, he heard a noise that nearly broke his hearts. The Doctor paused outside her bedroom, forehead pressed against the door, eyes shut at the sound of his little human sobbing. Hesitantly, he knocked gently on the door.

After a moment, he heard her muffled voice call out to him. “Come in.”

He opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it softly behind him. Rose was perched on her bed, knees drawn up in front of her. His chest ached at the sight of her eye make-up smeared down her face with tears.

“Is somethin’ wrong?” She asked, running her sleeve across her eyes.

“I thought you could do with a hug.”

Rose gave a noise that got lost somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “Yeah.”

He sat down on the bed beside her and opened his arms for her. She tucked her head under his chin, holding onto him tightly. Hugging her, he stroked her hair.

“I really didn’t think it would hurt this much,” she sobbed. “I knew it’d be ‘orrible, but I didn’t think… I mean, he was _there_! My dad, he was really there, and I-I lost him. I couldn’t save him.”

The Doctor rubbed soothing circles along her back. “Do you wish I hadn’t taken you to see him?”

Rose shook her head, tears still pouring down her face. “No, I don’t think I’d take it back.”

“He loved you so much,” the Doctor whispered. “Just remember that.”

“Yeah?”

“Rose Tyler, your dad was so proud of you. He was lucky he got a chance to see the _fantastic_ young woman you’ve become.”

She looked up at him with a watery smile. “Thank you, Doctor,” she whispered, moving to rest her head on her pillow. “I’m sorry I broke the rules.”

He reached out and squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Time’s a tricky thing, Rose. You were faced with an impossible situation. How could you not save your own dad?”

“Are you still mad at me?” She whispered.

The Doctor laid down to meet her gaze, hand still linked in hers. “Never.”

Nodding, Rose rested her head against his. “I wish I’d had more time with him.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you that.”

“’S not your fault,” she sniffed, feeling the unbearable weight of her grief bubbling up again.

He said nothing, only laid there and held onto her hand, letting her cry herself to sleep by his side.

_Oh, how he wished he could fix it for her._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TAG to 'The Empty Child' 1x09, and 'The Doctor Dances' 1x10.

Shuffling into the galley, Rose yawned, switching on the kettle.

“Morning, Rosie,” a voice greeted brightly from the table.

Turning around, she cast Jack a tired grin. “Mornin’. You sleep alright?”

“I slept just fine. Ship hums a bit though, doesn’t it?”

Smiling, Rose poured herself a cup of tea. “I like that, it’s kinda comfortin’.”

“She’s a good ship,” Jack nodded, chewing on his toast.

“Best ship there is,” she grinned, sitting across from him.

“And you say this from your wide range of experience living in spaceships?” He teased.

“Shut up,” Rose laughed, sipping at her tea. “There’s nothin’ like the TARDIS, she’s brilliant.”

“Aw, listen to you, he’s really rubbed off on ya, huh?”

“Hm?”

“The Doctor.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, well he’s right though, TARDIS is a clever old box.”

“Bigger on the inside.”

“Yep.”

He shook his head. “Still adjusting to that.”

“You found your room alright then?”

“Yeah, weird thing about that. The TARDIS kinda lead me there. Lit up a path until I got to a door of an empty room.”

Rose grinned over her mug. “Told ya she’s brilliant.”

“I won’t disagree,” he grinned. “So, where do you two sleep?”

“Oh, I’m in the room with the rose carved onto the door, another trick of the TARDIS. An’ the Doctor’s two doors down, the blue door.”

Jack swallowed his coffee, frowning at her. “Wait a minute, you two are in separate rooms?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, how come you’re not sharing?”

“Ship’s bigger on the inside, Jack,” she laughed. “Plenty of rooms to go round, so why would we share?”

“Wow, you two really aren’t together, are you?”

Rose frowned. “What?”

“I just thought you guys were just saying that, but you really aren’t a couple?”

“Me and the Doctor? N-No, why’d you think that?”

“’Cause you damn well look like one.”

Rose looked away, shaking her head. “We’re not like that. We’re friends, Jack.”

He smirked at her. “Yeah, I’ve had plenty of _friends_ too, Rose.”

“You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“So how come you two haven’t hooked up yet?”

“We’re not like that,” she repeated insistently. “We just travel together, alright?”

Cocking his head to the side, Jack regarded the blushing blonde before him with a small smile dancing on his lips. “Alright, I believe you. I might just get to serenade you myself yet,” he teased, throwing a wink her way.

Flushing even more, Rose smiled around the rim of her mug, looking away.

“Mornin’, you two,” came a gruff voice from the doorway. “Do I smell tea, Rose Tyler?”

“Uh, yeah, just made a cup. You want some?”

“Nah, you sit down, I can get it m’self.” The Doctor busied himself with the kettle, catching Jack’s stare from the corner of his eye. “Is there a problem, Captain, or are you gonna keep grinnin’ at me all morning?”

Jack’s smile broadened as he shook his head. “Nah, I’m alright.” He stood up, stretching exaggeratedly. “Well, I think I’m gonna look around this old ship for a bit, I’ll leave you two alone.” Winking once more at Rose, he sauntered from the room, whistling to himself.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Rose. “He’s a bit of an odd one, isn’t he?”

Laughing, Rose rolled the mug between her palms. “Yup. So, what’s the plan for the day?”

“How does the planet Ploon sound?”

“Ploon?”

“Ploon.”

“What’s in Ploon?” Rose grinned.

“Haven’t the foggiest. Finish your tea and we’ll go find out!” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TAG to 'Tooth and Claw' 2x02.

Rose bounded into the room, grinning. “I can’t believe we’re stayin’ in a real castle!” She beamed.

The Doctor chuckled. “Makes a nice change from the TARDIS, does it?”

“At least this place’ll stay still and not go bumping ‘round through time and space,” she teased. “Besides, we earned it, remember, _Sir_ Doctor?”

He grinned at her. “Oh, yes, _Dame_ Rose. Of course, given that we’ve been banished from the Mother country, I don’t think we’ll be staying in any British castles.”

“Still, a castle on the Ninth Planet of Og ain’t bad!” She replied, bouncing on her heels.

“Eighth, actually,” he replied, peering at the intricate tapestry on the wall. “Accidentally saving their Chieftain wasn’t a bad move.”

“Not at all,” Rose said with a grin, looking around the room. “You sure this is our room?”

He looked up, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, why?”

“It’s just got the one bed.”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her. “They must think we’re husband and wife.”

“Doesn’t everyone?” She retorted lightly, sitting on the bed.

“We must have a…a vibe of some sort. A domestic, couple-y vibe,” he murmured, frowning.

She laughed at him. “Domestic, eh? You must feel terrible!”

“Oh, I do!” He pocketed his specs, and tugged his jacket off. “I suppose we’d best make use of our supposed marital bed, Miss Tyler.”

Rose looked up at him, alarmed. “You what?”

“Oh!” He flushed. “Not like _that_! You know what I meant, Rose.”

She giggled at him. “For a genius, you’re rubbish with your words sometimes.”

He kicked off his shoes, nudging them over to the wall. “Is that so?”

“Definitely,” she replied, unlacing her boots. “You really put your foot in it a lot.”

“You lot just don’t get me,” he mumbled, climbing into the bed.

Rose toed off her boots, and slipped under the covers beside him. “Feeling misunderstood?” She teased.

“ _And_ unappreciated.” He snuffed out the gas lamp on the bedside locker, and laid down.

She snickered, leaning into rest her head on his chest. “Silly old Doctor.”

“But brilliant.”

“But brilliant,” she conceded.

His arms wound around her, cuddling her close to him. “You don’t mind, do you? Sharing a bed with me?”

Rose glanced up at him, but couldn’t make out his expression in the dark. “I’ve shared a bed with you before.”

“Before my regeneration though.”

“True. New new bed-sharing with the new new Doctor.”

He laughed, his chest shaking lightly underneath her cheek. “Making new new traditions, are we?”

“I don’t see why not,” she grinned, poking his ribs.

“Ow. Oh, Rose Tyler, you make for a terrible bedfellow,” he teased.

Rose let out a loud laugh. “ _Bedfellow_? That’s a change from Companion!”

He gently squeezed her waist. “Oh, you know what I meant.”

“Your use of the English language is terrible tonight, Doctor,” she giggled.

“This coming from the girl currently butchering it with every syllable of that accent!” He responded indignantly.

She snorted. “Oi, your accent isn’t very posh either.”

“Must be picking up bad habits from you.”

“Shut up,” she smiled.

Hugging her tightly for a second, the Doctor shut his eyes. “Goodnight, Rose Tyler.”

“’Night, Doctor.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set in early Season 2.

Rose walked through the TARDIS, carefully carrying the two mugs of tea, trying not to spill them. Suddenly, the ship gave a great lurch, sending her flying into the wall, the drinks crashing to the floor. She winced, staring around the corridor as the TARDIS rocked again, knocking her to the ground.

“Doctor?” She yelled, clambering to her feet. “What’s goin’ on?”

There was a loud bang from the console room, and Rose stumbled towards it, bracing herself against the wall. Wispy blue smoke filled the air, pouring from the controls of the TARDIS.

“What happened?” Rose gasped, spotting the Doctor’s head poking out from under the grating.

He glanced up at her, streaks of engine grease smudged across his face, hair sticking out in all directions. “Oh, the bloody temporal flux regulator’s failed!”

She frowned, grabbing the railing as the ship shuddered once more. “What does that mean?”

“ _Everything_ ’s failing. Now, if I can stabilise the modulators, I might be able to fix it. Hold on,” The Doctor crouched down, and attached a coil to a mess of wires. There was another loud bang and a spark, and the TARDIS  pitched forward, before stilling. Around them, all the lights flickered out, leaving them in semi-darkness.

“Well…”

“What happened _now_?”

“Um, well, we’re in a little bit of trouble,” The Doctor said, climbing out from under the controls.

“How bad is it?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re stuck somewhere in the vortex, with no engine and no heating.”

“So, bad then.”

“Very much so.”

“But you can fix it, right?”

“The modulators just need to cool down, they’ve overheated. Give it a few hours and the tubular amplifiers I put in should kick in.”

Rose sat down on the pilot’s chair, gazing at the darkened controls. “Isn’t there any power at all?”

The Doctor flopped down beside her, running a hand through his hair. “There was a little bit, but not enough to get us moving. Besides, I threw what was left into keeping the life support going.”

She glanced up at him, alarmed. “The life support?”

“Yeah, there was just enough to keep us breathing. Don’t worry, it’ll last us. But I’m afraid we’re without power or heating for a few hours.”

“But we’ll have it fixed in a few hours, yeah?”

He looked down at her and saw the worry on her face. His arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer to his side. “Don’t you worry, Rose. We’ll be fine, we’ve enough air to last for a week, and the TARDIS’ll be ready in a few hours.”

“What will we do ‘til then?”

The Doctor pulled a face. “Try and keep warm, I suppose. It’s gonna get very cold, very fast.”

Rose hopped to her feet. “I’ll grab some blankets and scarves then, yeah?”

He nodded at her before widening his eyes suddenly. “Oh, I’ve just had a brilliant idea!”

She laughed at his manic grin. “You figured out a way to fix it faster?”

“What? Oh, no. Even better!” He jumped to his feet, rubbing his hands together. “Right, go dress in warm clothes, and then grab every blanket, sheet or towel you can find on the TARDIS and bring them here.”

“What?”

He manoeuvred her towards the door. “Time is of the essence, Rose!”

She laughed, his enthusiasm infectious. “Even for Time Lords?”

“Oh, yes! Especially for Time Lords! Now, hop to it, Miss Tyler!”

“Aye aye, Captain!” She saluted, skipping away.

Grinning after her, he ran to one of the larger spare bedrooms and poked his head inside. Eyeing the contents, he nodded. “Oh, this will do perfectly.”

When Rose finally came back to the controls room, arms full of blankets, she stopped at the sight before her.

“What’s this then?” She asked, nodding at the large mattress and piles of cushions lying on the grating.

“Ah, Rose, pass me those sheets, will you? Oh, and do us a favour and grab a few heat packs. They’re in the kitchen, third drawer down, left of the pantry.”

“What are you doing?” She asked, dumping the sheets in his arms.

He shot her a grin over the pile of blankets. “Isn’t it obvious?” At her blank look, he shook his head. “We’re making a fort!”

“A fort?” She replied, beaming at him.

“ _Yes_ , Rose. Now, come on, heat packs!”

With a delighted laugh, she left the room once more. When she returned with four of the warm pouches, he had draped blankets across from the controls the railings, and built a surrounding wall from cushions and pillows.

“Oh my god,” she murmured.

His head popped out from under a sheet. “What do you think?”

“I think I might be travelling with a nine-hundred year old child,” Rose teased, shaking her head.

“Oi, what’s wrong with my fort?”

Grinning at his offended expression, she tossed him two of the heat packs, which he caught deftly. “Nothin’, it’s actually brilliant,” she admitted.

Brightening up, he ducked back inside. “Well, come on in then!”

Feeling giddy, Rose crouched down and crawled into the tent of blankets. Inside, he had set up the mattress so that pillows framed it like a sofa, while sheets of every colour and pattern hung above. “It’s amazing,” she whispered. “Not bigger on the inside though.”

He chuckled. “Apparently, Time Lord technology doesn’t extend to the linen cupboard.”

Snorting, she made herself comfortable, pulling a thick blanket over herself; there was already a tangible bite in the air of the TARDIS. Hugging her blankets and heat packs to herself, she smiled fondly up at him. “The fort was a good idea.”

“Yeah?”

“Definitely.”

The Doctor grinned back, before spotting her scarf. “Ooh, I better get some warmer clothes on. Be right back,” he winked, scrabbling out of the space.

When he ducked back inside, with a thick woollen scarf wrapped around his neck, and gloves on his hands, he was carrying two flashlights and a book. “Figured we’d need some way to pass the time!”

“Sure, what book?”

He waved _The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_ in the air, making her smile.

“Again?”

“I must say, I’ve gotten even fonder of it since my own escapades in my pyjamas at Christmas.”

“Howard’s pyjamas,” she corrected, resting her head on his shoulder.

He chuckled and opened the book. “Oh, hold the flashlight for me, will you?”

As the light shone on the page, the Doctor began to read softly. “ _Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral Arm of the Galaxy lies a small un-regarded yellow sun. Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-two million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet_ – actually, I always disagree with that. There is no such thing as an ‘insignificant planet’. I’ve never come across one that wasn’t important! It’s always very foolish of people to assume that any planet, especially _Earth_ of all places, could ever be remotely less important than others. Honestly, how often have you lot been the victims of an attempted invasion? I can’t even count how –”

“Doctor,” Rose cut in, her voice holding more of a bemused tone than annoyed. “I thought we were reading the book,” she reminded him, lightly poking him.

“Oh, yes. Right. I’ll carry on then. Um, where was I? Oh, _little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea_ …”

Rose shut her eyes, listening to the comforting lull of the Doctor’s voice, lazily poking him in the ribs every time he made a remark or complaint about the book.

At some point, she must have drifted off because she woke with a start, covered in sweat, drowning in unbearable heat. Blankets and sheets were swimming over her head, clinging to her, having fallen from their tent at some time. Rose pushed them aside, trying to escape the suffocating cocoon of blankets. When she was free, she glanced around the TARDIS, which was glowing and humming contentedly.

“Well, power’s fixed then,” Rose murmured, tugging her thick scarf off. Her gaze went to the large shape curled up under the sheets, and her smile grew. Pulling them off, they revealed a sleeping Time Lord, face soaked with sweat, hair curling damply around his face. His glasses were still on his face, balanced crookedly on the bridge of his nose. She smiled at him, leaning over, and shaking him gently awake.

He frowned, rolling onto his side. “’S wrong?” He mumbled, eyes still shut.

“Doctor, the TARDIS is working again.”

The Doctor attempted to burrow his face back into the warmth of the pillow. “Rose…”

She breathed a laugh. “Come on, sleepy head.”

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, glancing sleepily up at her. “The TARDIS is working?”

“Yeah, and feels like the heating’s definitely fixed.”

He sat up, stretching. “Oh, my fort collapsed,” he pulled a face, glancing at all the sheets and cushions surrounding them.

She laughed, getting to her feet. “Yeah well, at least the TARDIS is alright.”

“Ship shape and Bristol fashion,” he declared, jumping to his feet and dashing over to the console. “Ah, look at you! All better, old girl? Brilliant!”

Rose rolled her eyes at him as he stroked the TARDIS controls lovingly. “Should I leave you two alone, or...?” She asked, teasingly, poking her tongue out between her teeth as she grinned.

“Oi, behave, you,” he retorted, winking. “Now, where to, Rose Tyler?”

“Forwards!”

He twisted a large dial. “Forwards it is! How far?”

“The year three-thousand!” She laughed.

“Ooh, I love that song,” the Doctor grinned. “Alright, the year three-thousand, Earth! Allons-y!”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TAG for 'School Reunion' 2x03.

“I checked your room last night, you weren’t there.”

Rose sighed, stirring sugar into her tea. “I fell asleep in the library.”

“Yeah, I know. I found you in there. With him.”

She turned around, mug cradled in her cold hands, rolling her eyes at Mickey’s accusatory stare. “I don’t see what the problem is.”

Mickey glanced down at his feet. “I just didn’t ‘fink you two slept together.”

“We _don’t_ ,” she replied firmly.

“I didn’t mean it like that, yeah. I just didn’t expect to walk in on you two curled up on the chair asleep.”

Taking a measured sip, Rose eyed her friend. “We were readin’ a book, Mickey. And then we fell asleep. It’s not like anything happened.”

“Looked pretty cosy to me.”

“ _And_?” Her eyes flashed warningly.

Mickey sighed, getting up from the table. “Alright, I’m sorry. I’ll be in my room if you need me for anythin’.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TAG to 'Rise of the Cybermen' 2x05, and 'Age of Steel' 2x06.

He was tinkering underneath with one of the wall panels when she finally returned.

“Ready to go?” He asked quietly.

“Yeah, Mum’s gone to bed, and I told her we’d visit again in a bit,” Rose replied, shutting the TARDIS door softly behind her.

The Doctor slotted the panel back into place, and headed over to the controls. “As soon as you like,” he offered, giving her a small smile.

“’Fanks.”

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he set the TARDIS in motion. She had her hand to her mouth, chewing on her thumbnail. Her eyes were unfocused, lost far away. “You alright?”

Her gaze met his, startled. “Yeah. ‘M fine.”

“Liar,” he murmured, stepping back from the controls, and moving to her side. “You can’t get anything past me, Rose. Time Lord, remember?” He joked.

Rose’s answering smile was hollow. “Yeah.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, the Doctor blew out a sigh. “It’s been a long day, you should probably get some sleep.”

She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself.

The Doctor swallowed. “I’m sorry about everything that happened today.”

Shaking her head, she nudged him. “It wasn’t your fault. Any of it.”

“I’m sorry that it happened.”

Her eyes were suddenly very bright as she glanced up at him. “Me too.”

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “If there’s anything I can do?”

_Anything in the whole Universe…_

Rose shut her eyes, feeling hot tears sliding down her face, landing on the soft skin of the Doctor’s neck. “I miss ‘im,” she whispered thickly.

The Doctor pressed his lips to her hair. “Oh, Rose, I’m so sorry. I’m so very sorry.”

“I treated ‘im so horribly! No wonder he left.”

“Rose Tyler, don’t you dare say that,” he muttered in a low voice.

She pulled back to look at him. “’S true though, isn’t it? I ran off with you and just left ‘im waiting.”

He tensed. “Do you regret running away with me?”

“Never. I just wish I hadn’t been so bad to Mickey.” Rose shook her head. “I think I’m gonna go to bed,” she mumbled.

He nodded rapidly, clearing his throat. “Uh, yeah, I suppose you should.”

Her warm little hand slipped into his. “Doctor, could you stay with me tonight?” Rose asked, chewing her lip nervously.

“Uh, stay with you?”

“It’s just with everything that’s happened. Losing Mickey, and then Mum and Dad in that world…” she trailed off, swallowing.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. “I’ll stay.”

She flashed him a grateful, albeit watery, smile. “’Fanks.”

In silence, the pair walked through the corridor to Rose’s room, still holding hands. As she excused herself to the bathroom to change, he settled himself in her bed, coat and shoes left in the corner of her room. Clad in comfortable pyjamas, Rose re-entered the room, and slipped into bed beside him, switching off the light as she went. The Doctor put his arms around her, letting her lay her head on his chest, ear pressed against his dual heartbeat. Neither of them said a word, they both lay in the silence, hugging each other tightly, seeking a reprieve from the loneliness that consumed them.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set mid-season two. Spoilers for 'Rise of the Cybermen' 2x05, and 'Age of Steel' 2x06.

“This a new record, you know,” she told him, watching as he inspected the walls around them.

“Hm?” He glanced up at her. “What is?”

“This is definitely the quickest we’ve ended up in jail after arriving on a planet.”

The Doctor pulled a face. “We probably shouldn’t have stepped out of the TARDIS holding hands…”

“You could’ve told me that hand-holding is illegal here.”

Scratching the back of his neck, he turned back to the wall. “Yeah, uh, actually forgot about that.”

Rose laid back on the small cot, eyeing the grey ceiling above her. “Just for the record, this is the seventeenth prison cell we’ve been put in.”

That pulled his attention back to her. “ _Seventeen_?”

“Yup,” she replied, popping the p. “Honestly, when you told me I could visit all of time and space, Doctor, I never realised we’d be touring so many alien prisons.” She raised an eyebrow at him, smirking.

“Blimey. And we’ve broken out of a few. Space fugitives, that’s what we are,” he sat down at the end of the small bed.

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “And what about all those planets you’ve been banished from?”

“What happened on Klaxon Five was a complete misunderstanding! And it’s not like I’ve gotten you banished from anywhere.”

“Are you forgetting that we got forbidden from _England_ by the Queen herself?”

He cast her a sheepish look. “Oh, yeah, that.”

Rose shook her head at him, smiling. “Honestly, Doctor, you’re such a troublemaker, you are.”

Stretching out on the bed beside her, he put his hands behind his head. “Miss Tyler, you are just a magnet for trouble, are you really surprised that I end up in so much?”

She poked him. “Oi, don’t blame me.”

“Look at how I met you! Stuck in the middle of a basement filled with Living Plastic. And then I ended up following you ‘cause Mickey the Idiot went and got himself copied. Only you could attract so much trouble!”

At the mention of Mickey, Rose’s face fell. “Yeah.”

The Doctor shook his head. “I’m sorry I brought up Mickey.”

“’S alright. It was nearly a month ago.”

“And that makes it all better?” He asked dubiously.

She smiled humourlessly. “Not really.” She turned on her side to face him. “At least he’s got his gran, yeah?”

“Exactly, he got a second chance with someone he’d lost.” His eyes were studying her carefully.

“Right,” she agreed nodding. “He’s happy, and that’s what matters.”

“But you miss him.”

Rose sighed, meeting his gaze. “Yeah, I do. I’ve known him all my life, it’s weird thinking he’s not gonna be around anymore. But I haven’t really been around for him since I started travellin’ with you, so maybe it’s for the best, I suppose.”

The Doctor gave her a small smile. “Just think, Mickey the Idiot, protecting a whole other universe.”

Rose’s lips curled into a genuine smile at that. “You sound almost proud of him.”

“I am! Remember the first time I met Mickey? He was curled around your legs, terrified. And now look at him, saving people from the Cybermen. He’s brave and I respect him for that.”

“Yeah. I’m proud of him too.”

They lay in silence together for a moment lost in thought. After a while, Rose glanced over at him again. “How long are we gonna be stuck in here anyway?”

“Well, hand holding is a fairly minor offence, so we’re only in here for the night. Just a short detention. Shame they took my sonic screwdriver though, we could’ve been out of here by now.”

“Well if you hadn’t used it to try and unlock the prison cart, they might not’ve known to take it from you,” she teased.

“Yeah, it was all a bit of a disaster, really.”

Smiling, Rose suddenly shivered. “A night in here? Do you think it’d be too much if I asked them to turn up the heating?”

The Doctor chuckled. “Are you cold? Here,” he sat up, tugging off his coat. “You can use this as a blanket if you want?”

“I don’t want you to be cold either.”

“I won’t be. Superior Time –”

“– Lord biology and all that. Yeah, I know,” she finished.

He grinned ruefully down at her before lying back down, moving closer to her, the coat spread over both of them. “There. Both of us can benefit from the warmth, despite one of us not needing to.”

Rose laughed, tucking the coat around herself. “You’re just too stubborn to admit you need something. I bet you’d let yourself freeze before admitting you’re cold.”

Shaking his head, he shifted so that he was curled around her. “Is this okay?”

“’S fine,” she whispered, pulling his arm over her, eyes falling shut. “Wake me up when we can go, alright?”

“Will do,” he murmured, resting his head against her neck.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TAG for 'The Impossible Planet' 1x08, and 'The Satan Pit' 1x09.

They sat at the kitchen table, neither saying a word, hands still firmly entwined with each other. After a while, Rose cleared her throat, standing.

“Um, I think I’m gonna go to bed.” Her hand fell out of his grasp.

His gaze snapped up to hers. “Yeah, I suppose you should. It’s been a long day.”

“That’s an understatement,” she replied, swallowing. “’Night.”

He watched as she left the room, before dragging his hands tiredly across his face. Blowing out a sigh, he got to his feet, grabbing their long abandoned cups of tea, chucking the cold remains down the sink.

Heading to the console room, he ran his hand along the walls of the ship, feeling her pulse and whir in response. “That was a close one, old girl,” he muttered, stepping over to the controls. Fiddling with dials, he cast a small fond smile up at the Time Rotor. “Let’s run some diagnostics, eh?” Flicking various switches, he leapt around the controls, measuring and calculating the results that flew up on his screen. “Look at you, not a bump or scratch,” he murmured, slipping his glasses off. With another deep sigh, he sat back on the jump seat, feet propped up on the controls as he stared unseeingly at the room. Every muscle in his body seemed to scream with exhaustion, which said a lot given his typically bottomless reserves of energy. But now his body was weakened and aching, mind whirring too fast for him to follow. He couldn’t switch off the image of that… _thing_. Twisting his lips in annoyance, the Doctor let his head fall back, staring at the ceiling. Even with a Time Lord mind, he was finding it difficult to process the events of the last day, exhausted from all the panic and confusion. Shutting his eyes, he focused his remaining energy in relaxing his body, intending to shut down his mind briefly, to seek sleep. Feeling his limbs relax, he took a deep breath, his mind blurring around the edges slightly, teetering dizzyingly on the precipice of sleep…

Suddenly, a frightened yell echoed from down the corridor. Jerking awake, the Doctor leapt to his feet, eyes alert and manic. “Rose.” Starting down the dimmed hallway, he sought her room, feeling the TARDIS thrumming anxiously beneath his feet. Reaching her door, he heard a faint whimper emanating from her room. Fury overcoming him, he burst through the door, a pure manifestation of the Oncoming Storm. Who or whatever had harmed Rose would feel his full wrath—

Rose tossed in her bed, face contorted as she cried out. He stared at her for a long moment, realising that no one was hurting her; she was merely having a nightmare. Relaxing his stance, he rubbed a hand across his jaw, eyes locking in on the tears streaking down her face, falling into her hair. Crossing the room, he sat down on her bed, catching her flailing hand in his as it sliced through the air. “Sssh, Rose, it’s just a bad dream. It’s alright,” he soothed, rubbing a small circle on the back of her hand.

She gave a gasping sob, eyes still shut. “D-Doctor!” She called out.

“I’m here, Rose.”

Her face creased in worry as she twisted in the sheets, hand falling from his grasp. “Doctor! Help!” She yelled, awaking with a start, jolting upright in the bed, gasping.

His hands went to her upper arms, settling her. “Hey, hey, you’re okay. Rose, look at me.”

Breathing erratically, her bleary eyes met his. “Doctor…”

“It was a nightmare, Rose. You’re alright, I’m here.”

She flung her arms around his neck, shaking with fear. He could feel her heart hammering in her chest, and he stroked her back soothingly. “Oh god, the Beast…”

“Did you dream about it?”

Rose nodded, pulling away. “There was the Ood, and you kept falling, and I got trapped in the tunnels…” She shivered, pulling her duvet closer to herself. “That was bloody scary,” she whispered with a self-deprecating laugh.

He gave her a small smile. “It’s all over now. No Beasts, no Ood, no pits. We’re alright, Rose.”

“It said I was gonna _die_.”

“And I told you that it lied,” he reminded her firmly.

“How can you know that?”

“I know that because I will not let it happen. Rose Tyler, I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you. Do you understand that?” His eyes were fixed unwaveringly on hers until she finally nodded.

After a brief moment’s silence, he heard her swallow. “I killed Toby.”

The Doctor frowned up at her. “What?”

Biting her lip against the sob forming in her throat, she sniffed. “He… The Beast possessed him again, and I –” She cleared her throat. “I had to do something. So, I-I shot the window thing open, and unlocked his seatbelt. He got dragged out. I killed him…”

“He would’ve destroyed countless numbers of people.”

“The Beast would’ve, yeah. Not Toby.”

The Doctor gave a grim smile of sympathy. “There was nothing you could have done. Rose.”

“I killed Toby, Doctor. I didn’t even think of another way, I just did it.” Her tear-filled eyes met his. “How can I live with that?”

“Oh, Rose,” he murmured, pulling her in to press a kiss to her forehead. “We can’t always save everyone.”

“But we try! I didn’t even do that.” Her bottom lip wavered, and she ducked her head from his gaze. “I keep seeing ‘is face. He was so scared of it, Doctor.”

“Rose, think of all the billions of people out there that are safe because you stopped that thing from reaching Earth. Think of every person out there who could’ve been destroyed by it. Toby was too far gone, the Beast had corrupted him too much, there was no other choice.”

Leaning forward, she rested her head against his shoulder, eyes screwed shut. “There’s always a choice.”

“Not this time,” he whispered, hand stroking her hair.

She wound her arms around him, tremors still running through her. “You must think I’m being stupid, getting so wound up over a bad dream.”

“Never. Everyone has nightmares.”

Rose turned her head to face him. “Even you.”

He paused for a moment. “Yes. Even me.”

“What do you have nightmares about?”

“Oh, you know. Daleks and monsters.” Swallowing, he shifted his gaze away. “Mostly I dream about the Time War, and I see Gallifrey burning.”

Roles reversing, Rose ran her hand soothingly along the back of his neck, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. He cast her a grateful look. “It must be horrible, to have all that in your head.”

He shrugged weakly. “After nine hundred years you tend to amass a certain amount of material for bad dreams. Burning planets, Dalek empires, faceless girls. I’ve gotten used to it.”

“I don’t think I could ever get used to that,” she admitted.

“It’s not like you to have nightmares, Rose,” he commented, frowning.

“Actually, I always have ‘em.”

He pulled back from her, brow furrowed. “Since when?”

“Dunno, really. Haven’t had a bad one like that since the Gelth though.”

“How come you never told me you had nightmares?”

Rose looked away, sitting back against her headboard. “Just wanted to seem brave, I guess.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re already one of the bravest humans I’ve ever met, Rose. I wasn’t gonna think any less of you because of some bad dreams.”

“I just didn’t want you to think I couldn’t handle all this. I was scared you’d try to keep me from it all.” She blew out a sigh, shooting him a tired smile. “Obviously, I got that wrong. Anyway, look at you, you look knackered. You better get some sleep tonight,” she warned. “No messin’ about, staying up just so’s you don’t have to admit you need sleep.”

“Oi, you’re making me sound terrible,” he retorted, grinning in spite of his indignation. “I’ll have you know I was asleep in the console room, missy.”

She frowned. “Sorry, Doctor, did I wake you?”

“It’s alright, Rose.”

“So, how are you, y’know, after the pit and everything? You haven’t really said.”

“Oh, I’m alright, I’m al –”

“You’re always alright, yeah, I know,” she cut in, rolling her eyes. “Pull the other one.”

He grinned sheepishly at her. “Cheeky.”

“Whatever. Promise me you’ll sleep tonight.”

“Scout’s honour.”

“What, _you_ were a boy scout?” She asked teasingly.

“I’ve had nine hundred years to get about, Rose.”

She laughed, shoving him gently. “You’re so weird.”

“Is that so?”

“Very so.” Grinning, Rose suddenly let out a wide yawn. “Oh god, I’m wrecked,” she muttered, blinking back tiredness.

Getting to his feet, the Doctor shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ll let you get some sleep then,” he told her, turning away reluctantly.

She nodded, pulling the blankets closer to herself. As he opened the door, she abruptly became aware of all the inky shadows creeping into her darkened room. “Doctor?” She called out, throat tightened in fear.

He spun around, frowning. “Rose?”

Shaking her head frantically, she clutched the blankets tighter. “I can’t – Could you…? Could you stay with me?”

Tilting his head to one side, he sucked in a breath before nodding shortly. “Alright. I’ll stay. If that’s what you want, then I’ll stay.”

Nodding gratefully, she held the blankets open for him. “Sorry, I just can’t stop thinking about it all.”

He slid in beside her, arms curling around her. “Me neither,” he admitted, pulling her close, chin resting atop her head.

Immediately, she felt the panic subside and relaxed into him. “I feel safer with you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He smiled and rubbed her arm, warming up her goose-bumped skin. “Glad to hear it. Right, I think it’s safe to say that both of us are well and truly exhausted, so let’s get some sleep then, eh?”

“Goodnight, Doctor.”

“’Night.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for the delay, I've been writing chapters in bits, and I'd had this one in my head for a while. But writer's block made the words difficult to come out (and yet, made it so easy to write for other projects). I'm really happy everyone is enjoying the story so far. I think there's about five chapters left to go after this.   
> I struggled with this one, even though the idea and the character involved were something I loved working on. I hope you guys like this one. And thank you thank you thank you for reading. :)  
> \--------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

“Alright, I’ll be back in a bit. You sure you’re not coming along?”

The Doctor glanced over at her, sonic screwdriver held between his teeth, and quirked an eyebrow in response.

Rose rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. “It’s not that bad, you know. Honestly, you’d swear I was asking you to face a Dalek fleet.”

“Now _that_ ’d be more enjoyable,” he muttered darkly around the sonic, tugging at the wires hanging out from underneath the console.

“Oi, that’s my mum you’re talking about,” she replied, glaring down at him, nudging him with the toe of her shoe.

“Ow!” He glanced wearily up at her as his hand slipped causing a bright crackling spark under the console. Pulling the sonic from his mouth, he sucked on his injured finger, sending a disapproving look her way. “Rose, I’m busy.”

“It wouldn’t kill you to visit my mum, you know.”

“It might,” he grinned. “I’ve a terrible fear of her slapping me into my next regeneration.”

Snorting, she shook her head at him. “You big baby. I’ll see you later, yeah? If you finish up here soon, come up and have dinner with us.”

He cast her a fond smile. “Will do.” He tugged a coil of wires out. “Say hello to Jackie for me!” He called out to her as she shut the door.

“Shut up,” he heard her reply, causing him to chuckle.

An hour later, Rose was sitting in the kitchen drinking tea with Jackie when the Doctor burst through the door, clothes smoking slightly with spots of white foam on his cheeks. “Ah, Rose, Jackie, hello!”

Rose got to her feet in alarm. “Doctor, what happened?”

“Ah, yes.” He scratched the back of his head nervously. “ _Well_ , slight problem with the TARDIS.”

She sniffed, frowning. “You smell like burning.”

“Do I?” He pressed his sleeve to his nose, inhaling deeply. “Oh, I suppose I do. Like I said, slight problem…”

“What problem?” She wiped some of the foam from his face, raising an eyebrow at him. “Doctor, is this from the fire extinguisher?”

He grinned under her hand, running his fingers sheepishly through his already-mussed hair. “Possibly.” At her alarmed expression, he shrugged. “Don’t worry, small fire under the controls, all sorted out now, but there is another minor issue.”

“What is it?”

“Um,” he tugged his ear. “We’re grounded.”

“You what?”

“The TARDIS is refusing to budge. She’s mad at me.”

“ _She_?” Jackie intoned. “What you mean ‘ _she_ ’s mad at you’? It’s a bleedin’ box, not a woman.”

Rose pulled the Doctor the side as he opened his mouth to retort. “So, what’s that mean?”

With a glare in Jackie’s direction, the Doctor sighed. “We’re stuck here. I may have cut some wires and sent her into a bit of a huff. She chucked me out and dead-locked the doors.”

“Chucked you out? How?”

He held his arms out, showing her the scorch marks dotting his suit. “She set me on bloody fire!”

Biting her lips against her grin, Rose rubbed his arm soothingly. “You must’ve really annoyed her. Look, take off your suit jacket, you reek of smoke.”

He tugged it off, frowning down at it in distaste. “I’ll have to sonic those stains out.”

She took it from him, hanging it over a chair. “How long do you think she’ll be mad?”

Chuckling, he leaned against the kitchen counter. “Oh, you know how temperamental she is. You could go and chat to her for a bit, try and get me into her good books?”

“Ah, so you just want me to advocate on your behalf. Not gonna happen,” Rose teased, tongue poking through her teeth as she poured water into the kettle. “Tea?”

“Love some.” He plopped down on a chair beside Jackie. “’Lo, Jackie,” he muttered.

“I ‘ope you’re not plannin’ on ‘anging around here until that box of yours is working again,” she replied, rolling her eyes at him.

“Oh, where else would I rather be?” He asked, flinging an arm around the back of her chair.

Rose laughed, pouring hot water into his cup, stirring it. “You two better not start.”

The Doctor merely gave her a look of mock innocence, receiving a knowing grin in reply.

“I mean it,” she warned, handing him the  tea.

“Ta,” he grinned gratefully. “Anyway, me and Jackie here are great pals, aren’t we?” He joked, winking at Rose.

“Oh, shut it, you daft alien,” Jackie muttered, getting to her feet. “I suppose you two’ll be wantin’ dinner then, if you’re here for a bit.”

“I’d rather take my chances with an angry TARDIS,” he said under his breath, earning a swift kick under the table and a reproachful glare from Rose.

Oblivious to the Doctor’s remarks, Jackie went over to the phone. “Was gonna order a Chinese tonight anyway. You fancy a takeout, Rose?” She asked over her shoulder.

“Sounds good to me, Mum. Order the usual, yeah?”

“Alright, love. Doctor, the usual for you too?”

He grinned. “Yes, please, Jackie.”

Rose sat down next to him, shaking her head in amusement. “Extended visit, then?” She asked as her mother preoccupied herself with the phone call.

“Yep. She’ll probably have calmed down by the morning. I’ll fix her up then, and it gives you a chance to have some more… Tyler women bonding time.”

Grinning at him, she took a sip of tea. “’Tyler women bonding time’, eh?”

“I hear it’s very important.”

“Of course. So Chinese and some telly with Mum tonight?”

“Sounds perfect,” he smiled.

“Right, c’mon you and make yourself useful,” Jackie said, pointing the phone at the Doctor. “Take my purse and head down the road to collect the food.”

He frowned at her. “Why me?”

“’Cause I said so. Now go put those skinny legs of yours to use!”

Shooting a grimace at his laughing Companion, he got to his feet, reluctantly accepting the proffered purse. “I’ll be back in a bit,” he told her, dully.

“Take your time,” Rose replied bemusedly. “Oh, and don’t forget to ask for some prawn crackers!”

With one withering glance in her direction, the Doctor left the kitchen, heading out of the flat. Catching her daughter’s eye, Jackie grinned. “Well, it’s about time he did what he’s told.”

“He’s gonna be a right old grumpy sod when he comes back,” Rose warned her, chuckling.

“Attention span like that, he’ll be over it in five minutes. Anyway, the toaster’s acting up, so I’ll give it to him to sort it out, that’ll distract him, love.”

True enough, an hour later found the Doctor sitting in the Tyler living room, fiddling with half of a toaster, the other half sitting on the table beside a stack of takeaway cartons. Rose sighed at the sight. “I’ll just clear up then,” she offered, getting to her feet and picking up all the rubbish.

“’Fanks, darling,” Jackie smiled, turning her attention back to the tv. “Ooh, Weakest Link is on.”

The Time Lord glanced at the screen, frowning. “Oh, brilliant.”

“What, you don’t like it?” Jackie asked.

“No, not particularly fond of it since Anne Robinson disintegrated your only daughter, Jackie,” he replied, rolling his eyes.

“You what?”

Rose stepped back into the room and stacked their plates together. “Don’t mind him, Mum. He’s just bein’ overdramatic.”

“Overdramatic?” He asked, affronted. “Rose Tyler, I could have swept you up and put you in a bloody hoover bag. That’s hardly being overdramatic.”

She shrugged. “I honestly don’t remember anything past seeing you, runnin’ over and then a big white light.”

“Well, I can tell you, it was a nasty experience from my perspective.”

She smiled in empathy, and patted his shoulder as she left. “Sorry, Doctor.”

“Does anyone want to tell me what on earth you two are natterin’ about?”

“Long story short, Jackie, ended up in some madcap reality TV shows in the future, Rose got disintegrated by the robot of Anne Robinson ‘cause she was the Weakest Link. She was eventually restored, I died, new face, then Christmas was spent fighting aliens in pyjamas,” he summed up, nodding in satisfaction.

“It’s never bleedin’ simple with you two, eh?”

“Simple is boring, Jackie.” He reassembled the toaster halves with a triumphant grin, and turned his attention back to the television. “Ooh! Who Wants To Be A Millionaire!”

“I could be a bloody millionaire if you’d just give me the lottery numbers,” Jackie reminded him, shooting him a needling glance.

“Oh no no, I told you I’m not gonna abuse my time traveller privilege,” he pointed at her.

“Fat lot of use you are.”

“Oi! How many times have I saved this planet? You wouldn’t be sitting here complaining if it wasn’t for me. No, hang on, you complaining isn’t good. Well, you just wouldn’t be here anyway.”

Rose re-entered the room, handing her mother a cup of tea, and setting one down beside the Doctor. “Don’t make me bang your heads together,” she sighed, elbowing the Doctor.

“Ta, love. Anyway, it’s not my fault he’s full of cheek. Do something to shut him up, eh?”

The Doctor looked up at Rose, alarmed, and she laughed. “I’m open to suggestions here.”

“There’s a brand new jar of strawberry jam in the press under the sink,” Jackie told her. “Bought it just for him, may as well give it to him now.”

Smiling at the Doctor’s look of surprise at her mother’s thoughtfulness, Rose rolled her eyes and retreated to the kitchen. She returned with her own mug of tea, and tossed the jam jar over to the delight Time Lord who caught it deftly. “Thanks, Jackie,” he grinned, budging up on the couch, making room for Rose.

“Well, someone has to look after the two of you,” she muttered, but her tone was belied by how she was smiling fondly at them both.

Settling back into the sofa, the Doctor eagerly opened the jar, and moved to dip his fingers inside until a sharp tap on his forearm halted him. He looked up to see Rose resting a spoon against his arm, with an expectant look on her face.

“Here, I’m not listening to you getting in trouble for sticky fingerprints all over the flat.”

With a grin, he plucked it from her hand, and dug into to the sweet conserve. “’Fanks,” he mumbled around the spoon.

She merely shook her head in amusement, and fell silent as Jackie waved them quiet for her soaps.

The evening passed in a blur of Eastenders (during which Rose was sure the Doctor would sustain an injury from the sheer amount of eye-rolling he was doing in response the increasing melodrama on-screen), some reality TV show, until Jackie announced that she was heading to bed.

“I’ve left out some spare pillows and blankets for you,” she told the Doctor. “You can make the couch up and sleep there tonight, is that alright?”

He smiled up at her. “Perfect, thanks.”

“Alright. Now, don’t you two stay up all night nattering, yeah?”

With murmurs of agreement, the two time travellers bade her goodnight.

Gathering up their mugs, Rose got to her feet, moving into the kitchen. From the sofa, the Doctor could hear the splash of the kitchen tap as she washed them. After a few moments, she returned.

“Think I’ll turn in too. You alright here?”

Craning his head up to look at her, he grinned. “Rose, I’m perfectly capable of arranging a blanket and pillow on your mum’s lumpy couch.”

Her answering smile is lost somewhere between amused and exasperated. “In that case, see you in the morning.”

“See you,” he smiled.

Except that he sees her a lot sooner than that, because at some point during the sleepless night, he realised he’d gotten rather used to her constant presence at his side every night. They’d fallen into the habit of bed-sharing every night since the incident with The Beast. It had become natural for them to fall asleep on the couch in the library, or one of them to instinctively wander to the other’s bedroom. It surprised him that he missed her physical presence this much. Logically, a voice inside the back of his mind reminded him that he didn’t actually require this level of regular sleep. But he quickly silenced that voice with a simple reminder at how much they enjoyed Rose Tyler’s company, and it dutifully shut up.

With a sigh at the thought of Jackie Tyler’s wrath if she were to find him sneaking into her only daughter’s bedroom in the middle of the night, he pushed the blanket aside, and eased himself off the couch. Creeping to the other side of the flat (the part that didn’t house its formidable matriarch), he silently opened the door to Rose’s bedroom, slipping inside and closing it behind him with a soft snap.

“’S about time,” a voice mumbled from the darkness, causing him to jump in alarm.

“Rose?” He hissed into the silence.

“What took you so long?” She asked, and he could hear the wakefulness in her whisper – she hadn’t slept yet either.

He tip-toed towards her, deftly avoiding the chaos strewn across her bedroom floor (Christ, how did he live with someone so messy?). “Have you been expecting me? Why didn’t you come out to me, why’d I have to do all the work?” He shot back in an indignant whisper, his knees clumsily finding the edge of her bed.

He heard her chuckle quietly in the darkness, and the sound is very close to him now.

“And what, ruin my back on that lumpy couch? I don’t think so.”

He shakes his head at her (a useless gesture in the indelible darkness of her bedroom) and climbs under the covers beside her. “It’s a good thing I took the initiative then, isn’t it?”

“She’ll kill you if she catches you in here.”

“Yeah, but you’ll protect me, won’t you?”

There was a beat of silence.

“Rose? You will, won’t you?”

She snorted a laugh, burying the sound in his shoulder. “What’s in it for me?”

“All of time and space.”

“I suppose that’ll do,” she conceded with a grin that feels rather than sees.

“I promise I’ll take you somewhere fantastic tomorrow,” he offers, smiling himself.

“Promises, promises,” she quips in a sleepy mumble.

“’Night, Rose.”

“Goodnight, Doctor.”

 

 

And when Jackie Tyler finds the abandoned makeshift bed on her couch the next morning, and its former occupant snoring lightly beside her daughter, she doesn’t say a word. She merely retreats from the doorway, closing it softly behind her.

Then she proceeded onto the kitchen, where she made herself a nice cup of tea, and tried her best not to smile.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Take note, Ch 11, 12 and 13 are being posted up all on the same night, just in case you missed the previous ones. :)
> 
> I apologise in advance for how very *domestic* they are in this chapter.   
> \----------------------------------------------------------

She pushed past him angrily, stalking into the TARDIS and slamming the door shut behind her. Wincing, the Doctor ducked inside after her, pulling off his tuxedo jacket as he went.

“Rose,” he began, as she left the console room.

“Shut up, I’m not in the mood to talk to you right now.”

“Don’t be mad at me.” He jogged down the hallway after her, untying the bowtie around his neck.

“I am bloody mad at you,” she replied curtly, entering her room.

Leaning against the doorjamb, he blew out a sigh. “If you could just tell me what I did to upset you?”

That earned him a piercing glare as she sat on the bed, slipping her heels off. “I’ll tell you what you did, you big alien git! You left me to get kidnapped while you were off gallivantin’ with some woman!”

He tugged the tie off, dropping it onto her dresser. “I wasn’t gallivanting…”

“Off snogging some bloody princess, is what you were doing, while I’m tied up in a bleedin’ dungeon, Doctor!”

His eyes went to the raw reddened marks that circled her wrists, and he flushed with guilt. “Rose, I’m sorry.”

“But you’re not!” She yelled, getting to her feet. “’Cause this isn’t the first time you’ve run off and left me while you sneak away with a bloody woman!”

“I’ve never—”

“ _Madame De Pompadour_ ,” she hissed, poking him in the chest. “You ran after her with no way back and left me without a second thought!”

His face hardened. “You know that’s not true. And Reinette has nothing to do with this.”

“Doesn’t she? Doctor, you promised me you weren’t ever gonna leave me behind, but you do! You ran away with Reinette, and then you jumped into that bloody pit without thinking! You could’ve died there, and you didn’t care about leavin’ me behind stranded there!” She turned away from him, heading into her bathroom, letting the door slam in her wake.

He followed, standing outside. “Rose, I never meant to hurt you when I did those things.” She laughed harshly inside the room, and he could hear the rustle of her silk dress as she shoved it off. “I mean it, Rose, I didn’t think about how it would upset you. I’m so sorry I did.”

“That’s the problem, Doctor! You don’t think! You just jump in, playin’ the hero, but you never think about how it might affect people!”

The Doctor sighed, kicking off his shoes as he unbuttoned his shirt. Perching on her bed, he set them aside, mulling over her words.

“I was genuinely scared tonight, Doctor. I didn’t have a clue where you were, and those things had me locked up where I thought you’d never find me.”

“But I did,” he replied earnestly, removing his dress pants.

“Two hours later!” She snapped. “And only ‘cause I’d screamed my bloody head off!”

“Rose, as soon as I realised you were missing, I started searching for you. In my defence, it’s a rather large castle. Confusing layout too.”

She opened the door of the bathroom, dressed in her pyjamas. “In your defence? Are you really—” She stopped short as she caught sight of him. “What are you doing?”

He frowned up at her. “What?”

“What are you doing in my bed?” Rose replied, hands on her hips.

“Uh, I always sleep in your bed.”

“Well, you’re not bloody sleeping there tonight!”

“Why not?” He answered, sitting up.

“’Cause I’m mad at you, you plonker!”

“ _Plonker_? But I always sleep with you, Rose!”

“Not tonight! I’m mad at you, so the last thing I want to do is sleep with you there beside me.”

Looking hurt, he climbed out of the bed, standing in front of her. “So, what? You’re introducing me to the very human concept of sleeping on the couch?”

“Never said anything about the couch, Doctor. You’ve got a perfectly good bed of your own there, so why don’t you make use of it for once?”

Looking away from her, he nodded, stepping past her and leaving the room, door closing quietly behind him.

Exhaling a heavy sigh, Rose dropped down on her bed, pulling the covers over herself as she rolled into the middle of the bed. Biting her lip against the loneliness of the bed, she curled up, head resting on his pillow. Now that she was alone, she wished she hadn’t gotten so mad at him, but seeing him dancing and flirting with that other woman…

About half an hour later, she heard the door clicking open, and felt the mattress dip beneath his weight. His warm arm slid around her from behind. “I’m so sorry I left you, Rose. So very sorry,” he whispered, lips at her ear.

She turned to face him, cuddling into his chest. “It’s alright, I’m sorry I yelled at you about all that.”

His hand curled around her wrist, stroking the marks from the rope bindings. Quickly, he lifted it to his lips, and kissed the raw skin gently, before setting her hand on his chest, his own resting atop hers. “Rose Tyler, it is impossible to sleep without you.”

“Yeah, I can’t stand this sleeping apart lark,” she smiled.

“Then try not kick me out of your bed then, eh?” He teased, earning a laugh from her. His lips brushed against her forehead. “For the record, Lady Isabella kissed _me_. I tried to get back to you, but it wasn’t an easy feat. Last thing I needed was to insult her. As soon as I realised I couldn’t see you anywhere in the room, I went looking for you, I swear. I was in a right state.”

“It’s alright, I forgive you anyway.”

“What did I do to deserve you?”

“Shut up,” she replied, laughing.

He smiled, hugging her closer. “Goodnight.”

“’Night.”

After a pause, he spoke once more. “Oh, and Rose?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re sleeping on my side of the bed.”

She laughed, nudging him. “ _Goodnight_.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Take note, Ch 11, 12 and 13 were all posted up tonight, just in case you've missed one.
> 
> Thanks for reading, guys. Just a couple more to go! :)
> 
> TAG to Fear Her 2x11.  
> \-------------------------------------------------

Rose eyed him worriedly as he climbed into bed beside her. He hadn’t said a word in hours and had avoided her gaze for most of the night. “I’m surprised you’re sleeping with me.”

He glanced up, frowning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What’s bothering you, Doctor?”

“Nothing bothering me, Rose,” he replied quietly, leafing through one of his physics books left on her bedside locker.

“Doctor, you haven’t said a word since all your ominous words about a storm coming, talk to me.”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Rose. You should get some sleep, it’s been a long day,” he replied, not looking away from his book.

She plucked it from his hands, dropping it to the foot of the bed. “I know you’re not readin’ that, ‘cause you’d have finished it by now.” Rose got to her knees, glaring at him. “So, why don’t you tell me what’s going on in that big Time Lord head of yours,” she tapped a finger against his furrowed brow.

“Rose, he sighed, tugging her hand down. “Get some rest, eh?”

“ _Doctor_.”

“ _Rose_ ,” he mocked.

Huffing an angry sigh, she pulled her hand from his grasp, lying back down and rolling onto her side. “You really piss me off sometimes, you know.”

His hands went to her waist, pulling her back against his front. Tucking his chin against her shoulder, he pressed his temple to hers. “I can feel something terrible coming. Can’t you feel it?”

“What’s it feel like?”

He was quiet for a moment, fingers tracing circles against her arms. “I think I’m going to lose you.”

Rose sat up, turning to face him. “What?”

Lying back, he looked up at her. “I can’t shake the feeling that something’s gonna separate us, Rose.”

Growing alarmed, Rose found his hand and clutched it in hers. “Is this about what the Beast said?”

Squeezing her hand gently, he sighed. “I honestly don’t know.”

“You said it lied,” she whispered, feeling a tightening sensation form in her chest. “Doctor, you told me it was lying. You said I was safe.”

Hearing the panicked edge to her voice, he sat up, hands going to her shoulders. “Rose, I will do every single thing possible to keep you safe, do you hear me?”

“But you just said you’re gonna lose me!”

His forehead rested against hers. “I won’t let that happen. Trust me, Rose, I would never let you go.”

“What’s making you feel this way?”

“You know how I can see timelines?”

“Yeah.”

“I never look directly into them, it complicates things, but I can see the vague gist of where a person is heading. And ours are usually wrapped tightly around one another’s, but…” he paused.

“But what?” She prodded, moving back to look him fully in the face.

“But I can’t see that anymore, Rose. I can see my timeline and I can see your timeline. They’re both continuing on, but not parallel to each other.”

She shook her head. “It can’t happen. Nothing would ever make me leave you, Doctor.”

He gave her a wan smile. “That may not be your choice anymore.”

“When do our timelines separate?”

“Soon,” he whispered. “So very soon.”

Rose wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face against his neck. “We can’t let it happen. Tell me you won’t let it happen.”

“I’ll never let it happen,” he murmured, shutting his eyes. “How long are you gonna stay with me?”

She exhaled a shaky laugh. “Forever.”

He pulled back, smiling at her. “Promise?”

“Always.”

His hand went to her face, brushing away the small tear that escaped, swiping his thumb along the apple of her cheek. She smiled into his touch, meeting his warm gaze tearfully. “The Doctor plus one, remember?”

She snorted a laugh, leaning closer to him. “How could I forget? ‘Sides, who’s gonna keep you outta trouble, eh?”

His nose brushed her cheek as he chuckled. “Me? Need I remind you who’s jeopardy friendly?”

“I’m not that bad.”

“No,” he murmured in agreement, pulling away and eyeing her seriously. “You, Rose Tyler, are utterly _brilliant_ ,” he told her softly. Before she could reply, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Rose stiffened in shock, feeling her pulse thundering in her ears as he kissed her gently.

Suddenly, he drew back, eyes averted from hers, embarrassed at her lack of response. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have – that was stupid of me.” He pushed a hand through his hair, sitting back.

Shaking her head, Rose cleared her throat, finally finding her voice. “W-why did you kiss me?”

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. “Isn’t it obvious, Rose?”

Her hand went to his shoulder, pulling him around to face her. When he wouldn’t meet her gaze, she cupped his chin in her hand softly, bringing her face to his. “I was just surprised, Doctor. I never expected you to… Well, I always hoped. And really _really_ wanted you to kiss me,” she admitted sheepishly. That drew his stare to hers, his eyes glinting hopefully.

“Yeah?”

“ _Yes_.”

Rose smiled softly at him, and pulled him in for a chaste kiss. He was hesitant under her touch as she gently brushed her lips against his, her hands sliding from his face to cradle the back of his neck, her fingers burrowing into his feathery hair. With a barely audible sigh, the Doctor gave in to her, pulling Rose closer to him, eyes falling shut at the feeling of her lips moving with his. His senses were overwhelmed by the taste of her mouth, the scent of her shampoo assailing him, her fingers dancing alone the base of his neck. “Rose,” he murmured reverently, feeling a grin stretch across her mouth in response.

“’Bout time,” she breathed, laughing.

The Doctor pulled back, pressing gentle kisses to the corner of her mouth, her cheek, along her jaw, and down her throat to her pulse point. “Your heart is racing,” he murmured against her skin. Rose laughed, sliding her hands down to place both on either side of his chest.

“So are yours,” she replied, smiling.

Chuckling, he pressed a quick kiss to her collarbone, raising his head up to meet her happy gaze. “That’s the Rose Tyler effect, you know.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“I’m hopeless against it,” he smiled fondly, lying back against the pillows, tugging her into his arms. She giggled into his shoulder, shaking her head. “Utterly hopeless.”

Rose leaned on her elbow, looking up at him speculatively. “Huh, this is the first time I’ve heard of it.”

“Well, I can’t be advertising my greatest weakness all over the place now, can I?” He teased, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

“You’re just saying this ‘cause you’re certain you’re going to lose me, aren’t you?” She asked quietly.

The smile vanished from his face, and he cupped her face in his hands. “Rose Tyler, you listen to me. I will not lose you, do you understand? I will do everything I can, _everything_ , to keep you with me,” he insisted, staring intensely at her with suddenly bright eyes. “There is nothing in this universe that I won’t do to keep you by my side. You are far too precious for me to lose. You are the most precious thing in my world,” he admitted softly.

Rose wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Now you’ve gone and done it,” she mumbled, her voice muffled against the skin of his neck.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, the bloody universe is gonna implode now that you’ve said that.”

He relaxed with a breathy chuckle, running his hands up and down her spine. “Am I really that bad?”

She smiled, rolling over onto her side, still pressed against him. “No, you’re not. It’s just really lovely to hear you say that.”

“Oh, as if you didn’t already know, Rose,” he sighed dramatically, kissing her forehead.

“Well, you should know I feel the same.”

“How’s that?”

“You’re the most precious thing in my world too. But you already knew that too.”

He smiled at her tenderly. “Thank you.”

“But I’m letting you know now, Doctor, I won’t let you wrap me in cotton wool just ‘cause you have a bad feeling. There’s no locking me in the TARDIS or visiting boring planets where nothing happens. Nothing changes, alright? I don’t want to be treated like a child.”

The Doctor nodded in grim resignation. “Ah, there goes my hopes of tying you to the jump chair should things outside be too much.”

She snorted and bumped her shoulder against his.

“But, if you want,” he began hesitantly. “We could just, y’know, pop ‘round your mum’s tomorrow, if you’d like?”

Rose gave a little laugh, rolling on her side, back to him. “Wow, you must be scared if you’re offering to visit Mum.”

He immediately curled around her, nuzzling her neck. “Just humour me, please?”

“Of course.”

Pressing a kiss to the hollow behind her ear, he settled himself in the bed.

“As long as this lovely new development continues,” Rose added, teasingly.

He chuckled. “Of course.”

They cuddled closer together, in contented silence before the Doctor broke the quiet suddenly.

“Oh! You can bring your bazoolium along tomorrow to give to your mum!”


	14. Chapter 14

“Cor, this place is huge. I don’t know what ‘e needs all these rooms for, eh? Living alone an’ all. Well, I suppose he lived here with his wife. The other me. I still don’t really understand that. Mickey tried explainin’ it, bless him, but he’s not very good at it, is ‘e? Can’t explain all this mad universe stuff, not like your---” Jackie wisely swallowed the rest of her sentence. “Anyway, at least all the rooms gives us a chance to get away, eh? I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s Pete. But e’s not really _my_ Pete. I haven’t spent my life with this bloke. Not exactly ready to jump back into it. No, I’d much rather stay here with you anyway. Nice room, and look, there’s a door into my room, so if you want me, I can be right in.” She paused. Silence. “How about a cup of tea, love? How’s that sound? A nice cuppa, I know I could do with one.”

“Mum,” Rose croaked. “Please, just stop.”

“What can I do, Rose? What can I do to help you, eh?”

She shook her head, staring past Jackie unseeingly. “You can’t, Mum. Not this time.”

“Is there anything you want?”

“Yeah,” Rose gave a hard laugh, somewhere closer to a sob than she’d intended. “But I don’t think you’ll be able to cross universes for me, Mum.”

“Oh, babe,” Jackie murmured, pulling her daughter into a hug. “I’m so sorry. But you know him, big bloody clever clogs that he is, he’ll figure out a way to get back to you.”

“But what if he doesn’t? He told me it would be impossible to get here again. What if he never comes back and I’m just stuck here for the rest of my life, waiting for him to find me? What do I do then?”

“That won’t happen, sweetheart. One way or another, you two’ll figure it out.”

“It’s just…it’s just _not fair_. After everything we’ve done, all the places and people we’ve helped, and I wind up stuck here? How is that fair?” Rose huffed out a deep breath, scrubbing at her eyes with her sleeve. “’M sorry I keep cryin’, can’t seem to stop,” she mumbled, sniffing.

“Don’t you dare apologise for that, Rose,” Jackie told her firmly. “You’ve just lost the man you love, you can cry all you want. When your dad died, I swear, Rose I thought I’d never be able to breathe again. After the funeral, I just sat in the flat crying my eyes out. Oh, and love, you were only a little thing then, and you kept crying and crying. You could probably sense ‘e was gone. How was I supposed to stop you crying if I couldn’t even pull myself together?”

Rose glanced up at her. “You never told me that before.”

“Never really came up, I suppose. But you can cry yourself silly, darling, if that’s what you feel like. I bet himself is a right state right now. It’s only natural, given how much you loved each other.”

“Mum, I never said I loved him.”

“Well, it hardly takes a genius like him to figure out, now, does it? Anyway, you’re not the type to jump into a relationship with someone if you didn’t love them. ‘Specially a long one like the kind you two had.”

Rose frowned. “We weren’t in a relationship.”

“So you keep telling me, but you don’t have to hide it from me, you know. I know you’re not a little girl anymore. And yes, e’s an alien, and older than you, and he bloody abducted you for a year. But that man loves you completely. I could see it every time he looked at you. An’ well, I can hardly get upset over someone loving my daughter that much now, can I? I knew you were safe with him, that I could trust him with you, when he sent you home to me. So, it didn’t really bother me then that you were dating a bloody martian, love. ‘Cause you two loved each other to bits, and that’s so rare, Rose.”

Swallowing, Rose fiddled with the cuff of her cardigan. “Mum, I mean it, we weren’t going out. We… We only kissed last night, properly. For the first time. We haven’t been in a relationship.”

“But I thought… All this time, you two never…”

“No, Mum. Like I said, last night was the first night we even _kissed_. And now… Now I’m stuck here, and he’s a whole bloody world away! And we promised that we’d make it through anything together, an’ look at us! We finally got to this point, this brilliant new point, where one of us finally took that step. And after all that time, waiting for it to happen, and then it does, and then I lose him! I lose our entire life together, the whole universe. To end up stuck in some horrible parallel world where you were a bitch, Dad never knew me, and the only Rose Tyler was a flippin’ dog! And I will never see him again, and not because he died. No, he’s alive and living a life out there, but I can’t do it with him! And what if he does die, Mum? What if something terrible happens and he doesn’t regenerate? What if he just _dies_ and I’ll never ever know?”

“He won’t, and I tell you why. Because there is no bloody way that skinny alien of yours would ever stop fighting to get you back. Do you really think ‘e’s gonna run off and get ‘imself killed before he has a chance to find his way back to you?”

Rose blew out a sigh, shaking her head. “Mum, you heard him, it’s impossible to cross over now. There’s no way back.”

“And when has ‘impossible’ ever stopped that lunatic? Everything about him is impossible! Aliens, his spaceship, changin’ his face! You mark my words, Rose Tyler, that man is not giving up on you, not ever. Just you wait and see, love, he’ll come back for you.”

Smiling wanly, Rose wrapped her arms around her mother. “Thanks, Mum. You always know what to say.”

“No problem, love. I know the next while is gonna be tough on the both of us, so don’t be afraid to come to me if you need to chat about it, alright?”

“Yeah, ‘fanks,” Rose nodded, stifling a yawn.

“Right, you need to get some sleep, I’m surprised you’re still upright,” Jackie tutted.

“I’ll be alright,” she smiled.

Pressing a kiss to her daughter’s cheek, Jackie got to her feet. “I’ll let you get some kip, love. ‘Night.”

“G’night, Mum.”

Her mother left the room, leaving her sitting alone on a bed that wasn’t hers, in a room, in a house, in a place, in a _world_ that wasn’t hers. The reminder of it all left a bitter taste in her mouth. But at least this Jackie Tyler was her Jackie Tyler, and she was grateful beyond words for that.

Kicking her shoes off, she crawled up the unfamiliar bed, slipping under the cool sheets. Reaching out to switch the lamp off, she stared out at the darkness of the alien room, which ironically felt _more alien_ than all of the things she had encountered in her travels. There was no sense of home to it, no grounding point. Where did she begin to fit in, in a world where she had no place?

And more importantly, she thought with a sigh, eyes fixing on the shadowed ceiling, how was she ever going to sleep again without the _bum-bum-bum-bum_ of two hearts beside her?


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: Both chapters 14 and 15 were posted today, in case you've missed the last one. :) The next one will be the final chapter!

He blinked hard, fixing his bleary eyes on the wire, forcing them to focus. Reaching out to connect the end of the wire to the panel, he ignored the tremor that was quaking through his fingers, rattling his nails against metal.

Somewhere above him, as he sat in the underbelly of the console, there was a great groaning noise, and his ship lurched, edging him slightly forward, but not enough to dislodge him entirely from his perch.

“Stop it,” he muttered, clenching and unclenching his fist until the shaking stopped.

The TARDIS didn’t listen, pitching backwards, sharper this time, to send him stumbling back into the grating around him.

“I said stop it! Stop threatening me, shut up and let me do my work,” he scowled. Clambering out from beneath the console, he jumped up to the controls, pulling a length of wire behind him to attach to a board of buttons before him.

He ignored the swooping sensation is his head, the lightheaded airiness that was building behind his eyes.

All around him the lights went dim, and the humming in the TARDIS took on a soothing quality. He dropped the wire, and whipped around to glare at the walls of the ship.

“Don’t you dare! Now behave, and leave me alone!”

She responded with an even gentler song, lulling him sweetly. His shoulders slumped, and his eyes fluttered shut as he stepped back to lean against the chair—

“NO!” He yelled, snapping to attention. “I know what you’re doing and you can bloody well forget it.”

The screens around him flashed in concern, the TARDIS making a soft keening noise.

He gritted his teeth hard, turning and grabbing the controls hard enough to whiten his knuckles. “I won’t do it,” he growled. “I won’t sleep, so stop trying to make me.”

She sounded plaintively again.

“I can’t do it, so stop.” He rested his forehead against the core of the console, eyes closing in exhaustion. “Please.”

A hum of concern sang around him. Time Lords weren’t meant to be awake this long.

Thirty-two days to be exact. Thirty-two days since the white room. Twenty-nine since the beach. Twenty-seven since the brilliant Donna Noble with so much potential and a mouth as brash as Jackie Tyler’s.

Thirty-two days doing anything but sleeping, anything but finding his way to the haunted bedrooms on his grieving ship, anything but having to lie down and be alone.

And his ship didn’t like that one bit.

Bless her, he thought, for looking after me.

He rubbed his hand along the console, a gesture of gratitude and apology. He shouldn’t have lashed out, not at her, not at the one thing he had left. She was only trying to help him. But he was oh so tired. So exhausted.

That admission finally did him in, his shoulders fell, and the weight of his exhaustion had him surrendering at last. Pulling away from the controls, he walked slowly from the room, his fingers trailing weakly along the wall of the corridor as he went. She had moved the room closer to him, the door was suddenly right there, and he patted it gratefully, ignoring the rose carved into its surface.

Stepping into the room, he pulled off his coat, his tie, kicked his shoes aside, and fell into the bed. The mattress was almost too soft for his aching muscles. Sinking back against the pillows, he curled onto his side, relaxing.

A golden hair caught his eye, the pale strand threaded into the edge of the pillow. He reached over and drew it out slowly, watching as it stretched never-ending from the material. Pinching it between his fingers, he studied the soft shine of it in the muted glow of the TARDIS lights, then flicked it aside, over the edge of the bed, forgotten.

Shutting his eyes, he pressed his face into the perfumed pillow and let sleep take him at last.


End file.
